And The Rain Keeps Falling
by TheDoublemintTwins11
Summary: He always thought that rain at a funeral was cliche. Now he realizes that this setting...it's fitting. Sanji-centric, AU, implied?ZoLu and SanAce friendship.


**Before you get confused, this is an AU take on Ace's death. Sanji-centric!**

**And The Rain Keeps Falling**

**-DMTwins-**

Sanji hunched over and pulled his coat tighter to ward off the oncoming rain. He glanced up slightly and, with a hand up to shield his eyes from the rain, he looked down the muddy path ahead of him. Large puddles were forming in some places, not only from the downpour, but also because the recent warm weather had melted most of the winter's snow. The wind howled fiercely and reminded Sanji to keep a firm grip on his coat. It could almost be warm, if it weren't for the biting chill the wind carried in memory of the passing winter.

He hurried down the path and through a large, iron gate. It creaked ominously in the wind—someone had forgotten to latch it behind them. The gale whipped the gate open, and Sanji took this opportunity to let himself inside. Rows of graves stood solemnly, taking a beating from the rain. Any flowers or gifts brought by loved ones had long since been torn up and blown away by the storm. Though he wasn't exactly sure why, he felt inclined to give the graves a curt nod. Perhaps they would appreciate that.

Sanji knew the cemetery well—too well, by his standards. He'd been down here far too many times for his liking. Mud clung to his shoes, loose dirt flicking in front of him with each step, but he didn't pay it much heed as he trudged forward toward the black marble marker that he had first seen exactly one year ago.

Ahead, Sanji spotted two figures standing near the grave. Both were clad in long, black coats, with their hoods up to shield them from the downpour. As Sanji drew closer, the taller of the two noticed him. The shorter remained fixed to the spot he was standing in while the taller—Zoro—walked over.

"How long have you two been out here?" Sanji asked, cringing slightly at how he almost had to shout to keep his voice from being carried away by the wind. He glanced over at Luffy, who was standing with his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. Zoro turned his face up to the sky, mouth pressed into a thin line.

"A few hours, I guess. It was only drizzling when we first came out here." He answered. They lapsed into silence after that. Neither was in the mood for small talk. Sanji watched as Zoro stared intently at the grave. Finally, Sanji turned away and grasped for his cigarettes—even after being tucked away inside his shirt pocket, they were still somewhat damp, he noted—and put one in his mouth. The storm was still raging fiercely, so he bent forward and cupped his hand around his lighter as he attempted keep the flame from dying. After six failed attempts, he finally managed to light the cigarette.

"It's sort of fitting, you know?" Sanji almost didn't hear it over the roar of the wind. "The storm, I mean. And the rain. He wouldn't have liked this weather." Luffy smiled sadly, "I doubt he likes this either." He gestured toward the grave. His face fell, and with it, he lapsed into silence once again. The look on Luffy's face was heart wrenching, and Sanji felt like he should say something—anything—but he couldn't find the words, so he just stared dumbly at the spot, cradling his cigarette and cursing the rain. Luffy sighed, quietly, and moved to stand by Zoro. Zoro put a consoling hand on his shoulder and turned to Sanji.

"We should go." Zoro said flatly, "Do you need a ride?" Sanji shook his head.

"I'm going to stay for a little while longer." Zoro nodded and turned to walk down the same way Sanji had come, with Luffy at his side.

Sanji watched them go, and only turned away when they were completely out of sight. Once they were gone, he turned back to the grave. Sanji stared at it for a long while before finally approaching it. Sanji kneeled in the grass, ignoring the fact that his dress pants were probably going to be ruined by the mud and the rain. He was soaked through, anyway.

Sanji ran a hand over the smooth marble before reaching into his coat pocket to grab his lighter. Sanji swiped a thumb over the side, where a small flame had been engraved. Through all the time that Sanji had known him, Ace had never even mentioned Sanji's lighter. Still, after a while Sanji had noticed. After all, even after having known him for years, Sanji couldn't think of a single time where he had chosen to be subtle, so when he always managed to use Sanji's lighter to start fires and cause mayhem—that bastard, Sanji was usually the one to take the heat for it, especially when there was property damage, police involvement, and hell to pay—Sanji had caught on that the older man had favored it.

Sanji smiled sadly at the memories, gave the lighter a light squeeze, as though reassuring it that it was going to a better owner, and placed it in the little tray designated for flowers. He remained kneeling for a long time, eyes fixated on the little flame etched into the side of the lighter, and the rain kept on falling.

**I wrote most of this a while ago and just now found and finished it. Review, please, and tell me what you think!**


End file.
